


ghosts keep us awake

by fairy_yeol



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 20:13:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16981050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairy_yeol/pseuds/fairy_yeol
Summary: johnny never believed in ghosts, but taeyong did and he always will.taeyong was determined to prove that ghosts exist.and in the midst of all this, johnnys battling with the ghost inside him and his feelings for his bestfriend.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello<3  
> been struggling with writing and i spent a week on this, deleted some of my favourite parts because they didn't work with the flow of the story aha. but uh yes! i was originally going to do a prince au but it flopped. i hope you enjoy this fic and please tell me if you want me to finish it ! if not ill just let this rot like the rest of my fics;(
> 
> you can follow me on twitter: @ycnglan to keep up with this and ask any questions if you want  
> or follow me on instagram: @dicksoutforloona as im more active there!

_yutas face dimly lit up as he placed the flash light below his chin, everyone in the room sat up straight and paid full attention to whatever exaggerated story the japanese boy had to tell. johnny, however, was too busy flicking through an old batman comic book, despite it being dark he could still make out most of the pictures._

_taeyong, doyoung and jaehyun all squashed together in the middle of the floor, not looking away from yuta, they were all shaking and grabbing onto eachother. taeil, on the other hand, looked more bored than johnny. you'd think since it's a common occurrence the most 'confident' boys of the group would just get over these silly stories but.... they never did._

_johnny was coming to the end of his comic book, sadly. he had heard yutas stories about 483729383 times so he pretty much knew the plot of each and everyone one of them, he really didn't want to stay and listen. yuta liked to say the same exact story but just change the people, sometimes he'd make all of them be in it just to mess with them. but it never worked on johnny, he rarely got scared._

_johnny was about to get another book but yuta was getting to the end of the story so he decided to stay._

_"and BOOM! the walls came crashing down as the beheaded ghost floated to the three boys!" johnny heard everyone shriek and rolled his eyes. it wasn't even 10pm yet. and of course it had the same ending as all the others._

 

_all of a sudden the lights flickered on and off, johnny was confused but wasn't scared like the rest of them, taeyong was screaming the loudest (of course.) despite how annoying his screams were, johnny still comforted him everytime. they had always been close and taeyong seemed to trust him the most. all the boys knew how sensitive taeyong was, none of them teased him about it - taeyong was fragile and needed a little more love and attention than the rest. johnny was always ready to give him just that._

_"yuta! cut it out!" seo scrambled to his feet to switch the light on properly and ran to the crying boy. he opened out his arms and watched taeyong flop into him, tightly tugging onto his shirt._

_"hey it's going to be alright yongie!!" johnny hugged him tightly and didn't let go until he stopped crying._

-

johnny has never believed in ghosts, never seen one either. unlike lee taeyong who's claimed to see millions. now that they're a lot older, the 'gang' do sometimes tease taeyong about his hectic childhood. taeyong is still a bit sensitive but not as much, he still believes in ghosts and always will.

-

"one day johnny! ill make you believe in ghosts!" taeyong giggled.

they were on there way to the modern art museum, still arguing about the supernatural like always. it was common for the two to bicker now and again but the whole ghost debate had been going on for far too long and taeyong didn't seem like he wanted to give up.

"pfft okay taeyong, when was the first time you saw a ghost?" johnny chuckled to himself and looked down, waiting for the younger to reply.

"you won't believe me," he pushed out his bottom lip and looked away. johnny couldn't tell if he was seriously upset or just joking.

"hey hey, maybe ill believe in ghosts if your story is convincing enough!"

taeyong took that as a challenge and got ready to tell his story, "alright!"

-

they finally made it to museum and taeyongs story ended - from what he could understand, taeyong saw a ghost after his pet goldfish died. which is sort of understandable but still makes no sense.

"so, do you believe in ghosts now?" taeyong locked arms with the taller boy as they entered.

"uhhh let me sleep on it, still not sure.... sorry," johnny ruffled taes hair, "but hey, great story, very imaginative!" lee looked up and frowned, "it was a real story seo!!!"

-

_[yongie!!]_

_[12:45]_

_hey john!! i found some websites dedicated to ghosts and figuring out if they're real or not!! check them out!_

 

johnny picked up his phone and waited for taeyong to send the links, maybe he should give this whole ghost thing a shot? who knows what's in store, maybe ghosts are real after all.

johnny only agreed to do this so his bestfriend would be happy but so far he's enjoying it.

there were three links in total, the first two didn't seem as interesting but the last one caught his eye. it was about a camera, johnny read on to find out there's a few special cameras around the world that can 'capture ghosts.' seo was still a bit sceptical but the idea of a special camera intrigued him, he did like photography and he was pretty good at it.

he didn't like the fact that the more he read on, the more he wanted the camera to be in his possession. unfortunately for him, these types of cameras are impossible to find.

taeyong was bound to know something so he invited him over.

-

"so, will i finally be the person to convince _The_ johnny seo that ghosts exist?" he flopped onto johnnys nicely done bed, knocking his neat display of teddy bears. johnny _pretended_ he didn't mind and pushed yongs feet out of the way so he could sit on the bed with him.

"maybe, but im just interested in the camera taeyong," he lolled his head to side and smiled at taeyong.

"but johnny these types of cameras are hard to-" taeyong stopped mid sentence before scrambling to his feet and rummaging through old boxes in the corner of the room.

"ah! here they are!" johnny noticed taeyong had picked up the box filled with his old cameras.

seo was very sentimental and loved keeping old cameras, he was planning on decorating his room and maybe displaying them on a nice shelf but never got round to it.

taeyong sat opposite him and placed the box in between them. he was surprised it was still intact.

"maybe these cameras have something special about them! you always talked about how you got these cameras from strange places so who knows what secrets they're holding!" taeyong had never looked this excited and it make the latter happy.

he was right though, many of the cameras did come from strange places. he remembers sitting at the beach with ten once, watching the moonlight shine across the still water. before leaving they noticed a washed up camera that surprinsigly still worked somehow.

that camera had always been his favourite until it just stopped working one day - he didn't bother getting it fixed but maybe he should.

"let's take this bad boy to that old dude near the coffee shop!" taeyong put his washed out denim jacket on and johnny quickly pulled his hoodie over his head and they were out of the room in an instant.

"im kinda excited now!" seo opened the door for taeyong. he quickly scanned the room for anything he'd forgotten before rushing out.

but

what they didn't notice, was the flash of a camera and a polaroid of the two floating to the ground.

 

-

 

the bell above the door rang as johnny and taeyong both stepped inside, the shop was covered with different types of clocks. it gave johnny an alice in wonderland feel with toy cats hanging from the counter and the cluster of teacups that were meant for display. the whole place looked great and they clearly changed quite a few things.

the last time johnny had visited, it was plain and simple - clocks weren't on display, the counter had nothing on it apart from the till. he's glad they decided to change it up a bit.

"oh hello!" the backdoor swung open and admitted the body of a young woman, "what can i do for you two?"

taeyong took the camera out of his satchel and walked over to the counter. johnny remembers seeing the same bag when they were younger, he's surprised he kept it.

"is it possible for you to maybe take a look at this?" johnny stood forward and noticed the name 'yerim' engraved on the badge she was wearing, it was loosely clipped to her puffy jacket and seemed like it was going to fall off any second.

"hm," she took it from taeyongs hands and carefully opened it, "ill see what i can do, the inside is a but damaged but it's nothing i can't fix! come by again in a few days and hopefully itll be ready to use."

seo smiled at how friendly she was, much better than the old guy that used to work here.

taeyong smiled too, "thankyou!"

-

johnny breathed in as he stood outside, it was currently 1:30pm, the fresh smell of coffee filled his lungs. neither of the two were hungry so they set off back to johnnys house, he knew taeyong would force him to do more ghost investigating so he decided to mentally prepared himself.

-

tae lazily pushed the door open and streched his arms out, whenever he does stuff like that johnny always thinks he looks like a cat.

many of his friends have mentioned it before, taeyong is a mixture of several animals. he has feline features and a very delicate face. johnny always loves looking at taeyong, loved looking at the way his hair flopped like a puppies ears would. it was a weird thing ( ~~and ten likes to call him a furry for it but hey~~ ).

he watched taeyong softly skid into his bedroom as he put the kettle on.

"uh hey johnny," he turned around as soon as he heard his name being called, taeyong was standing behind the table with a polaroid in his hand, "did you take this?"

he placed the picture down and johnny walked towards it. the polariod was slightly smudged and the two of them were in it, "i don't remember taking it, maybe i pressed the button by mistake or something?"

taeyong slouched down and flicked tbe picture away, "yeah maybe...."

he could see the curiosity and confusion in his friends eyes, he knew taeyong would feel uneasy knowing that a mysterious polaroid of the two came out of nowhere. seo knows he didn't take it by accident but he didn't want to worry the younger anymore.

"ah come on taeyong," he wrapped his arms around his fragile waist, it always amazed johnny how beautifully his body was framed, "let's have some tea and just try to think this over, don't stress too much."

johnnys always the one to take care and comfort taeyong, he loves it. he loves being able to stop taeyong crying, he loves making taeyong smile and laugh uncontrollably when he's had a bad day. and most importantly, he loves his bestfriend, and he'd do anything for him - even believing in ghosts just to make him happy.

he always gets tense at the smallest things and johnnys learnt to give him time, he's always told him to take baby steps. taeyongs gradually improving, he's a lot less stressed but the whole ghost bullshit has shaked him up a bit. johnny assumes yutas childhood stories really took a big affect on him, or watching the move psycho every night. taeyong was always dragged into supernatural stuff and johnny could tell he hated every part of it.

 

-

 

"okay so let's say it was a ghost," the day went by so fast and they're now laying on johnnys bed together, "what if it's a friendly ghost?" taeyong propped his head up on johnnys stomach so he could look him in the eye.

"it could be," he could tell he put the younger at ease by just saying them few words. they had spent the whole day researching everything, papers with scribbled notes were all over the floor, they were too tired to get dressed and taeyong looked like he'd fall asleep any minute.

and johnny was right. it didn't take him long to fall asleep and drool all over johnnys nice white shirt but he didn't care.

johnny laid in silence, listening out for any voices. the only thing he could hear was the wind as he opened his window just before.

night was always the time where johnnys brain decided to torture him with things from the past and even what may happen in his future. he had spent many nights like this, staring at the ceiling - letting his mind take over.

he looked down at taeyong. one thing that had been going on in his mind forever was his feelings. he didn't ever pay attention to them but he knew they were there - real feelings for his bestfriend. not the usual feelings but _love_. he hated it, he knew taeyong didn't feel the same at all.

johnny didn't want to dwell on it any longer so he decided to sleep too.

before letting his eyes flutter shut, he swore he could hear someone whisper but chose to ignore it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> maybe johnny's finally convinced ghosts do exist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ://////// kinda feel like this is whole ass flop but yeah uhhhhhhhh i hope whoever is actually interested in this fic likes this update !!!! idk if i'll actually finish this fic oops but yes ! enjoy ig. also sorry for any mistakes i haven't read over this and ALSo sorry for the short chapter, i have no motivation whatsoever so yeah lol

johnny listened to the sound of the kettle boiling, he had been out of it ever since he woke up. it was currently 6 am, he had only managed to sleep for 3 hours, johnny wasn't surprised. it all felt surreal, the way the clock was slowly ticking; the soft rush of wind coming from the nearest window, and seo hated it all. ever since last night, he had become a lot more aware of his surroundings, ghosts appearing to be more real than ever. hed never admit it out loud but he was scared, _frightened_ even.

"johnny?" he jumped at the sound of his name, turning around to see a sleepy taeyong look his way.

"what's up?" seo watched as his best friend slid towards him and rested his head on his shoulder. tae shrugged before leaving his side and making his way to the kettle, johnny had no idea that it went off despite him _'being a lot more aware of his surroundings.'_

"it's odd for you to be up this early," the younger still managed to smile so brightly at early hours in the morning, in fact, it made johnny a bit jealous. the two were complete opposites, taeyong was always happy in any situation. the elder had his moments but he wishes he could be as cheerful as tae sometimes.

"you know me," he gently lowered himself on the couch next to taeyong, "i always struggle to sleep."

the two sat in a comfortable silence, just feeling safe by each other's side. it felt empty, everything did. he doesn't know why but last night made johnny a mess, he felt less stable, less happy, less anything.

 

and he didn't know whether it was to do with ghosts or to do with the boy sitting beside him.

 

-

 

johnny managed to get himself together and thought fresh air would do him good. due to that, the duo entered the local library. it wasn't as busy as normal and johnny was thankful, he had started to hate crowded places. it almost felt like him and taeyong had switched personalities, or he was just becoming a lot like him.

"so," johnny watched as taeyongs slender fingers traced the spines of the crooked books, watching with awe as the sheer light from above cast down on him; bringing out his boney features, "what exactly are you looking for?"

taeyong tapped on a book before carefully pulling it out, he wiped off any dust the book had collected and turned to look at johnny. "this book!"

the two walked towards an unoccupied table and taeyong placed the book on the table.

the word **_'EXSPIRAVIT'_** was spread across the book cover, the author's name was nowhere to be seen.

"i believe it means ghost in latin, or something like that." johnny nodded at his statement and pulled out two chairs for both of them.

"what's so special about this book?" the elder perched his head on the back of his hand as he leaned forward so taeyong could hear him whisper.

"if i'm being honest, i don't really know," he whispered back, "i just read online that looking through books helps a lot."

"wouldn't it be more fun if we just explored like a haunted house or something?"

taeyong pouted at his comment and johnny resisted the urge to kiss him, "but research is fun too! we'll do that after, i _promise!_ "

 

-

 

the book didn't have much to offer at first, the beginning chapters were filled with basic common knowledge about ghosts. johnny was ready to give up until his best friend stumbled upon something worth their time.

"hey johnny listen to this!" he watched as the youngers eyes lit up, genuinely excited to tell him what he had just read, "many people have claimed that polaroids can be a way to see ghosts, however, something more magnificent is that many allow you to see an alternative universe. otherwise known as ' _the underground'_ , a place where a person, if lucky enough, can interact with the spirit realm. no one knows how to achieve this but many speculate that you need to use a special camera and take pictures of certain objects. many theorists believe this isn't possible but there are also several people who say they have managed to visit this other place beyond human touch."

johnny's eyes lit up next, "taeyong, you do know what this means right?" he abruptly stood up, making the odd one or two people stare at him. his best friend looked confused as he stood up and followed him out of the library.

he clung onto johnny's arm and opened his mouth to speak, "what are you on about?"

they both stopped walking and seo cupped taeyongs face with his hands, making his cheeks drastically heat up, "taeyong! i can't believe we didn't realise sooner.... the polaroid! it all makes sense now!"

he started walking again but taeyong stopped him, "can you please explain?!"

he watched as the taller boy blinked rapidly, trying to calm himself down and come back to his senses. "the book taeyong, what you read to me. i don't want to scare you but i think the picture you found was trying to send a message, i don't know but i think that could help us? maybe we could visit that other realm!"

the younger couldn't believe what he was hearing, johnny, the man who claimed to never believe in ghosts suddenly believes that they could see spirits with their own eyes? he was proud, happy and excited.

 

 _johnny was right, that_ polaroid _was the key to everything._


End file.
